Cost of Living Comparison Between Motherwell and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Motherwell and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,300 in Motherwell versus $1,266 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,379 in Motherwell versus $2,279 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,457 in Motherwell versus $3,292 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Motherwell is roughly 82% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Motherwell is 68% above, Playa del Carmen is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.47 £15.30

$11.60 MX$200

76.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 £49.92

$47.11 MX$812

41.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.15 £7.58

$11.88 MX$205

-14.56%

Cappuccino

$4.76 £3.56

$3.98 MX$68.6

19.60%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.64

$1.43 MX$24.60

53.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.35

$0.82 MX$14.22

120.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 £4.41

$3.19 MX$55.0

85.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 £5.14

$6.79 MX$117

1.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 £1.09

$1.68 MX$28.89

-13.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 £1.04

$2.20 MX$37.88

-36.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 £1.67

$1.71 MX$29.45

30.41%

Eggs

$3.78 £2.83

$2.74 MX$47.26

37.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 £7.37

$9.58 MX$165

2.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.76 £7.30

$9.01 MX$155

8.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 £13.18

$12.81 MX$221

37.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.23

$2.89 MX$49.81

3.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.50 MX$25.81

6.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 £2.14

$2.15 MX$37.03

33.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 £2.32

$2.26 MX$38.96

37.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 £1.39

$1.98 MX$34.15

-6.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 £1.04

$1.99 MX$34.30

-30.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.23 MX$21.28

-4.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.20 MX$20.63

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.68 £16.95

$4.55 MX$78.5

398.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.66 £7.96

$10.37 MX$179

2.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 £2.20

$1.62 MX$27.91

82.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.88 MX$49.67

16.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.57 £2.67

$0.60 MX$10.35

495.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.0 £70.3

$28.80 MX$497

226.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.06 £4.53

$5.39 MX$92.9

12.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 £0.88

$3.73 MX$64.3

-68.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.81 £21.53

$5.77 MX$99.5

399.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.54 MX$26.48

34.42%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$39.5K £29.5K

$22.5K MX$388.8K

75.13%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$41.3K £30.8K

$26.1K MX$449.3K

58.32%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$259 £193

$91.4 MX$1,576

183.33%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$19.63 £14.67

$25.20 MX$435

-22.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.36 £30.91

$31.24 MX$539

32.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.69 £35.64

$67.2 MX$1,159

-29.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 £5.08

$29.11 MX$502

-76.64%

Cinema Ticket

$12.35 £9.23

$4.86 MX$83.8

154.12%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$941 £703

$224 MX$3,856

320.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K £13.2K

$4,229 MX$72.9K

319.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 £92.8

$47.10 MX$812

163.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.50 £36.24

$44.29 MX$764

9.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £76.8

$80.1 MX$1,381

28.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 £69.3

$92.7 MX$1,598

0.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 £935

$1,063 MX$18.3K

17.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 £776

$390 MX$6,728

166.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 £1,555

$2,149 MX$37.1K

-3.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 £1,242

$1,272 MX$21.9K

30.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,091 £3,804

$4,001 MX$69.0K

27.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,935 £2,941

$6,502 MX$112.1K

-39.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-56.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Motherwell: September 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: September 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,251 in Motherwell and $1,063 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Motherwell vs $47.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $276 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Motherwell vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 82% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,450 in Motherwell and $1,899 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,251 in Motherwell versus $1,063 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Motherwell. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $67.0 in Motherwell. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,266 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,300 in Motherwell, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Motherwell. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Motherwell, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Motherwell. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.